Nigeria for five weeks now have been experiencing fuel scarcity, which has led to hike if fuel price when available, and an increase in the price of commodities and transport fare.
NNPC Makes Fresh Promise To Nigerians
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited said that it would deliver over 1. 7 billion litres of PMS on marine and on land as the fuel scarcity persists across the nation.
It also said that it had no plans to adjust the current price of PMS in the market.
The Group Managing Director, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPC), Malam Mele Kyari gave the assurance in a joint briefing with Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) and Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) at the NNPC towers in Abuja.
The GMD noted that the current fuel queues at the filling station were down to panic buying.
He asked Nigerians to avoid panic buying and instead buy only what they require on a daily basis, adding that he and his colleagues were working tirelessly to ensure that the product reached every part of the country.
” NNPC is stepping up its efforts to address distribution issues that occur in some parts of the country due to logistical issues. To expedite the restoration of normal distribution, we have hired depot operators to load product 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
” At this time, we have capacity to load from all depots. ” We are already loading 24 hours a day from all of our depots, which we anticipate will close the gap left by panic buying. He stated, ” We hope this will bring normalcy to the system shortly. ”
The GMD also disclosed that the corporation had engaged the services of government, security agencies to ensure that all products loaded got to the right destination adding that sanction will be melted to any operator selling above the stipulated pump price.
Air Peace Six Hours Delay
Following a passenger complaint over a six- hour delay on an Air Peace aircraft, the airline blamed the delay on the evacuation of Nigerians stranded in Ukraine and fuel scarcity.
Josh Cahill, the passenger, is a solo- flight reviewer with over 45, 000 subscribers and 150 million views on his YouTube channel.
Cahill took to Twitter to vent his dissatisfaction, tweeting that he and other passengers were due to fly from Lagos to Johannesburg, South Africa, but were six hours late.
The German national further stated that two passengers passed out while attempting to board the plane despite the plane’ s lack of aviation fuel.
Cahill tweeted, ” Unbelievable scenes here at Lagos. Flight delayed by six hours now. Passengers tried to storm the plane. Two passengers passed out, and no jet fuel is available, so we can’ t depart to Johannesburg. No Peace on @flyairpeace. ”
Fuel Scarcity, Ukraine Evacuation, Causes For Six Hour Delay According To Air Peace
The management of Air Peace, however, indicated in a statement provided to our correspondent that the flight was delayed due to the evacuation of Nigerians who were flown from Hungary after becoming stuck in war- torn Ukraine.
Air Peace went on to say that the plane, which was also due to go to South Africa, arrived in Abuja at the time it was supposed to leave Lagos for Johannesburg.
” The Boeing 777 scheduled to perform the Jo’ burg trip was delayed in Budapest, Hungary, where it airlifted Nigerians who were stuck as a result of the Ukraine crisis, ” the statement added. At the airport, some Nigerians arrived late.
” On arriving Abuja, the aircraft was also delayed as it arrived late and we had to obtain the necessary operational waivers given that it was an evacuation flight. The aircraft finally arrived Lagos around 04: 00hrs, the same time it was scheduled to depart for Jo’ burg.
” As a standard practice, the aircraft had to be cleaned, prepared and fuelled for the next trip. Fuel scarcity was another factor that delayed the Jo’ burg flight.
” It is also crucial to state that the passenger who had a medical emergency, was rightfully attended to by Port Health and is on- board the flight, which is now airborne. ”
Air Peace was recently involved in a spat with the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, after the airline’ s unwillingness to postpone a flight for the monarch.
After the Emir’ s trip from Banjul, Gambia to Lagos was delayed, his entourage called the airline’ s chairman, Allen Onyema, to ask him to postpone a Lagos to Kano flight that the Emir was scheduled to take.
Air Peace, on the other hand, did not postpone the trip, citing ” a very big uproar in the media nationwide against both the airline and the Emir. ”
Isa Bayero, the Emir’ s cousin, had written to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, requesting that the airline be sanctioned seriously for ” disrespecting” the Kano monarch, which Air Peace denied.